Old Friends and a New Face
by dragonwings948
Summary: "You must be Mr. Chesterton." A deleted scene from "The Caretaker" where the Doctor runs into a face from his past.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi, everyone! I actually wrote this fic right after "The Caretaker" aired but I sort of forgot about it until I found it today! I see this as sort of a deleted scene from the episode, though the chapters to come will probably take place after the episode. **

**I know there's conflicting canon about Ian and Barbara's age, but (in what seems to be the unpopular opinion) I like sticking to the account from The Sarah Jane Adventures where Sarah Jane says she's heard that they haven't aged since they left the TARDIS in 1965. I don't know, I just feel like with Ian and Barbara...they shouldn't grow old. It just suits them. But that's just me. **

**Anyway, enjoy! :) Please review, follow, and favorite!**

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><p>The Doctor strolled down the halls of Coal Hill School, brush over his shoulder. He began whistling a random tune he had picked up somewhere or other. That was normal, right? Whistling?<p>

Most of the kids didn't even give him a second glance. It was in between classes and they were too busy stuffing their backpacks to notice him. The caretaker, the one whom nobody minded. Practically invisible.

Suddenly, as if by some command, all of the students straightened. Their eyes got slightly wide, they talked a little quieter. Their eyes darted just behind him, following another presence.

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder out of curiosity, expecting to see a teacher, possibly even Clara. He did a double take, faltering in his footsteps. A series of old memories, oh, so old, assaulted his mind without warning.

The man looked right at the Doctor and smiled, as if seeing him for the first time. "Ah, hello there! You must be the new fellow, eh?"

The Doctor could feel the children's eyes on him as he turned around and eyed the hand offered to him from this suit-clad, dark haired man. He finally shook it after a moment, perhaps taking a little too long to get over his shock. It was amazing how one face could make his entire mindset shift. Normally, he quite enjoyed aggravating humans (especially Clara) and asserting himself as the more intelligent species, which meant he could do and say whatever he wanted. But this face…it was one of the only faces in the universe that could humble him.

"Yes, yes I am," the Doctor replied after a long silence, finally looking the young man in the eye. His hearts beat a little quicker, and a smile twitched on his lips as he decided against butchering the man's name. "And you must be…Mr. Chesterton?"

"Yes," he chuckled, perhaps thinking that the Doctor's strange behavior was due to meeting the governor of the school. "But please, call me Ian."

"Oh, Chesterton will do for me," he said quickly, hardly even thinking about what he was saying. How could he have missed this? _Ian, _the governor of Coal Hill School? He should have known.

Ian frowned, his face still smooth and not aged a day since the Doctor had last seen him. He gave the Doctor a strange look, but then the corners of his mouth stretched upward in a small smile and his eyes grew soft in thought. "I had an old friend who used to call me that."

"It suits you," the Doctor said with a nod, searching his old companion's face. No, Ian didn't recognize him. The gray hair and Scottish accent were all much too different from his last regeneration…though whether Ian had even seen that version of him yet was questionable.

"I'm sorry to keep you," Ian said suddenly, coming back to reality.

"Oh, it's not a bother. There's just been a spill in the cafeteria." He twirled his brush expertly in his hand, thinking as fast as the handle spun. He shouldn't reveal himself to Ian. He had wanted a normal life, and telling him about the alien attack would surely worry him and make him want to get involved. He couldn't do that to someone he respected as much as Ian Chesterton.

"Wonderful. I'm headed that way too." He began at a brisk pace down the hallway, wishing the few lingering students a good morning.

The Doctor caught up with Ian in a few long strides, bent on finding out as much about him as possible. The fact that he had neglected to keep up with his first two companions troubled him. "Young man like you, doesn't seem like you'd be qualified to be the governor."

Ian chuckled like it was a great joke and looked over at the Doctor with mirth alight in his eyes. "You'd be surprised. I've been told I'm older than I look."

"So I'd imagine. You've got a wife, then? Kids?"

An odd glance was cast his way. "Yes, I have a family." He sighed, his expression relaxing. "Both of my daughters live abroad now and Barbara and I hardly know what to do anymore."

_Barbara. _The Doctor noted how still, after all these years, the way he spoke of her was with a sort of reverence. If it wasn't in his tone, then it showed in his eyes or his small smile. That was one love he would always count on to last.

The Doctor reflected on what he had said and nodded slowly as he pushed open the cafeteria door. His thoughts were dwelling hundreds of years in the past, thinking about a young girl who didn't want to part from her grandfather…

He felt his throat constrict as he remembered the scene, but now wasn't the time to get emotional. He cleared his throat and aimed to make his voice gruffer. "It's hard to let your children go."

Ian offered him a small smile and clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you for the conversation, Mr…"

"Smith. John Smith."

"Interesting name," the governor said with a wide grin.

The Doctor tried hard not smile, for it would surely give him away. "Common, I know. Good day, Chesterton."

"Good day to you, Mr. Smith." He chuckled as he looked to the corner of the cafeteria. "Seems like you'll have quite the job."

The Doctor groaned at the sight of a huge puddle of spilled milk and then sighed. He watched Ian walk across the cafeteria and into the kitchen, greeting the lunch ladies with warm smiles.

"Good day, Chesterton," he repeated as a murmur.


	2. Chapter 2

"I _swear _it was there, sir! I didn't think it would be any harm if I borrowed a screwdriver, so I went into the Caretaker's shed and there it was, a _real _police box! Like the ones they had years back when I was a kid!"

Ian turned the pen in his hands over and over. He knew very well what the police box meant, and all he could think of was that odd replacement Caretaker.

"So you took the screwdriver, and when you went to return it a few minutes later-"

"It was _gone, _sir!" the old science teacher sighed, scratching his gray beard. "The box was gone! Don't know where it could have gone!"

Ian sighed, feigning perplexity as he tapped his pen on his desk. "I don't know what to make of it, Mr. Faring, but I'll look into it."

"It's just a trick the kids are playing, sir, I'm sure of it," the elderly man said as he stood up. However, there was a note of uncertainty in his voice, like he was trying to convince himself.

"Now let's not blame it on the children until we know the facts, eh? I'll get to the bottom of this."

Mr. Faring nodded. "Good day, sir."

"Good day."

The teacher's footsteps echoed into the hallway. Ian slumped in his chair, letting the pen fall on his desk. The melted chairs, the metal devices found throughout the school, the demolished Caretaker's shed…it all made sense now.

"Why didn't you just tell me, Doctor?" he murmured to himself, saddened that his old friend would speak to him and not even tell him who he was.

"I didn't want to worry you." The Caretaker strode into Ian's office, though now he was dressed in a navy coat with scarlet lining.

Ian smiled and stood to his feet, truly happy to see him. "Doctor! It's been _years! _And you've changed again!"

He looked down at himself, as if noticing he was different for the first time. "So I have."

Ian took in the Doctor's passive expression and remembered the dilemma at hand. He sat back down in his chair and looked straight into his old friend's eyes. "Were there aliens at the school?"

The Doctor frowned and shook his head, claiming the seat in front of the desk. "No, no aliens here."

Ian raised an eyebrow at him, remembering how many times he had lied and tricked him when he first knew him. "I see that some things haven't changed." He picked up his pen again. "It's my job to worry about the school, you know."

"Yes, but you didn't have anything to worry about, because as I said, no aliens here." He smiled, clasping his wrinkled hands together on top of the desk.

"No aliens _anymore, _you mean," Ian corrected. The Doctor wouldn't be here for no reason, and undercover no less. He finally took a moment to take in what the Doctor looked like, now that he knew he was the Doctor. "You're a bit more like you were when I knew you. Still not sure what I think about the other you, the one that came to my wedding."

"Yes, I thought it was time for a change. I hadn't been old for a long time." His smile grew wider. "And I see that you won't ever get old, eh Chesterton?"

Ian chuckled. It was both a blessing and a curse, not aging. Of course it was wonderful to stay young, especially with Barbara, but they had children who would age when they wouldn't. "No, I don't expect so, Doctor. I suppose I should thank you for that."

"No, don't thank me. You were the one who pushed yourself into _my _TARDIS." A playful old gleam shone in his eyes, one that Ian remembered well.

Ian smiled. "And am I glad I did." He focused on the pen for a moment, allowing himself to think back to the old days in the TARDIS with the Doctor, Barbara, and Susan. Such wonderful, extraordinary adventures. "Barbara will want to see you, you know. She won't forgive you if you don't come by."

"I don't do house calls," he said, shaking his head, "but I might just make an exception for the Chestertons. Only," he added, raising a finger, "if Barbara cooks."

Ian laughed heartily. "Dinner it is, Doctor. How about seven? If you can manage it." He remembered how piloting the TARDIS used to be such a difficult task for the Doctor, but the last time he had met him he had done perfectly fine.

"I can manage any time. Seven it is." He began to stand up. "Let me just tell Clara-"

"Clara Oswald?" Ian remembered how she had that look about her, like she had seen wonders beyond the Earth. It was one of the reasons he had hired her.

The Doctor paused, furrowing his thick grey eyebrows. "Do you know her?"

"Of course I do," Ian chuckled. "I hired her. Does she travel with you?"

The Doctor nodded as he pushed his chair in. "Yes, she does."

Ian smiled. "I knew it. The moment I saw her I knew it." He looked down at his pen and smiled. "I'm sure you've heard the kids talking about her and Mr. Pink."

He sighed, his lips settling into a deep-set frown. "Yes, I've become aware of that."

"Reminds me a bit of Barbara and I, don't you think, Doctor?" He smiled as he twirled the pen. "The bright, clever girl and the clumsy soldier."

The Doctor grunted in reply and turned his back to leave. Obviously, he had touched a sore spot. He wondered if the situation reminded him too much of Susan; the way she had fallen in love with a man and left the TARDIS to stay with him rather than her grandfather (though it had only been at the Doctor's prodding). It wouldn't surprise Ian if the Doctor was afraid that the same thing would happen again, even after all these years. But he would never admit to fear; oh, no. The Doctor was above fear.

"I think it'll be all right, Doctor," Ian said to his back.

"Seven," he called back before striding out of the office.

Ian shook his head and leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen against his chin. "New face…same old Doctor."


End file.
